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The Meeting at the Goat Troll Tavern

8/30/2022

Finding a comfortable seat was a little harder than the Baron had thought it would be. "Troll taverns aren't like anyone else's," thought the Baron as he scans the available seating. In one corner of the room was a pile of rocks (some of them sharp, green, moldy looking and pointy) while in another corner were a pile of sticks (more of those being sharper and pointier than the rocks).

Nowhere did there appear to be a regular chair or seat to sit down on while he and Fiddlefaddle waited for Hewy and the Rock band he was jamming with to finish. After another quick glance of the room, he noticed Fiddlefaddle waving to him and pointing at a log that was up against a wall. "At least I will be able to sit down on something not pointy," decided the Baron and started towards his faithful BAT man.

Meanwhile, Fiddlefaddle was brushing the lose bark off of the log and setting a cloth over it so the Baron would have a place to sit without sticking to the sap leaking from the tree. It was then that he realized that the log (being about 3 feet around) had not been cut down but had been broken in half like it had been smashed with something heavy. "A fist maybe," thought Fiddlefaddle! If he was worried about what kind of place they were in before, he was even more so now...

"Sir, I have prepared a place for you here," he told the Baron. "What would you like to drink while we wait for Hewy?" Thinking that this was turning into a new adventure, the Baron decided to go with the flow. "Whatever their special is today would be fine."

Hoping that the Baron would have said something like, 'oh, just a glass of water would be fine' was what Fiddlefaddle had wished for, never the less he started to the counter where a large troll was standing and wiping a stone tankard with what appeared to be someone's old shirt. "My good troll, what is today's special?" he asked. After staring at the BAT man for a couple of seconds, finally the troll smiled and answered. "Aged goat's milk with a little extra special ingredient for flavor."

Now Fiddlefaddle was not going to ask about the extra because he really did not want to know what it might be, but went ahead and ordered one for the Baron. As he was taking it back to him, Fiddlefaddle noticed that the Baron was now talking to Hewy who had finished his last practice set and was now taking a break.

"I know where some of the Borrowers live but they are a secluded group and usually live away from each other instead of in a community. Borrowers like to work alone when they can. They normally don't like to be too close to neighbors because either a fight happens because they 'borrowed' something or the neighbor did," he heard Hewy tell the Baron.

"But Hewy, we must find this Borrower because it has a Dragon tablet that may change our entire realm if it gets into the wrong hands," whispered the Baron as he leaned into the troll, hoping that no else was listening in.

"Or Troll's hands you mean. This must be what the Troll King Druzzy is wanting," replied Hewy. "Lately he has been trying to get me to bring Hungry to him and he keeps asking me about any information or old songs about Dragons that I might know about. The last time he summoned me to his audience room, he said that as a musician I must know how to read music, but could I also read Dragon? It made no sense to me at the time, but now it does. He must really want that tablet."

"I don't think it would be a good thing, Sir, if he gets it," interrupted Fiddlefaddle. "Sorry sir, your drink..." holding out the tray to the Baron. As the Baron's thoughts were on the problem he and Hewy were discussing, he grabbed the handle of the drink and started to take a sip... but before he could, Hewy's hand covered the top of the tankard and pulled it from his grasp. "Is this today's special?" he asked Fiddlefaddle. "Yes, it is what the Baron requested," he replied.

"Unless you want us to carry you out of here, I would not drink that. The special ingredient is a large shot of aged Dragon's Brew and even that is strong enough to put a troll asleep under a tavern table let alone under a bridge," Hewy told the Baron. Deciding that Hewy's warning was good enough for him, the Baron decided to forget about the drink and continue the discussion. "If Druzzy is interested in Hungry, then we should warn him or maybe consider hiding him deeper in the forest."

"Let me get my gear and I can take you to where he is training with his other teachers," answered Hewy sitting the drink down on the wooden tavern floor and starting to the stage. As he was setting it down, a small drop spilled from the tankard and started smoking and bubbling where it landed, leaving a hole in the wooden floor that hadn't been there before.

"Fiddlefaddle, next time you order the special, maybe you should get some ice (lots of ice) to water it down a little bit?" the Baron told his BAT man as they followed Hewy to the tavern door and into the street. As Fiddlefaddle followed the Baron out of the door, he made some notes in a little journal that he carried for information just like this.

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Arnie is not a Happy Camper!!!

8/22/2022

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As Arnie, Drat, Dulbbe, and the Wysp walked down the trail to the Goodies cottage, Arnie stood a little ways away from the rest of the group. Partly so she could try to ignore the constant chattering of the Wysp, but mostly because she was not happy with the arrangements. Grumbling, she muttered under her breath, "Borrowers work alone" as she stomped ahead of the rest. "Who do they think they are to hide out in my bushes and now think they can come with me?" continued Arnie. This is not what she thought would happen when she picked up that mysterious tablet in the cave she had fallen through when out 'borrowing' (which really means appropriating stuff that doesn't belong to her but of course always leaving something else behind).

At the moment when she thought about the tablet, it suddenly disappeared from her pocket. "Oh no, where did it go?" as the panic set into Arnie's mind. She reached for her pocket to find it truly empty and quickly searched other pockets to make sure she had not accidently put it into a different one. Turning around to reach one of her back pockets that required a bit more of a stretch, she saw the tablet in Drat's hands!

"What are you doing with MY tablet?" Arnie demanded of Drat and instantly marched up to him and grabbed it back. Drat just stares at her with his beady red eyes as he couldn't believe that he had actually held the tablet in his hands for all of a few seconds. "Where did that come from?" he thought before he realized something else. "Oh Drat! To think I could have accomplished my mission for the Troll King if I had ran when I had it" he mused to himself as he watched Arnie stuff it into her pocket again and walk away.

Arnie, turning to continue on the trail to the Goodies' home, tried to ignore those following her. Quickly she realized that she was going to have to be even more on her toes that before as she understood that she wasn't the only one that was trying to figure out more about this tablet. Just dawning on her she thought, "That is probably why these two were waiting for me."

Reaching to the pocket again just to reassure herself the tablet was still there she quickly finds out that it has disappeared again! "This has got to quit!" she growls as she stomps her feet and turns around expecting Drat to be holding the tablet again. But No! Now Dulbbe seems to be staring at the tablet in his hands.

Dulbbe, as he looks up to see Arnie glaring at him, quickly put up his hands and replied " I didn't do anything! It just showed up." It was then that Arnie heard a little giggle near her ear. Of course - the WYSP!!! That mischievous little blue imp was playing with her.

Turning towards the Wysp, Arnie continues her glare... "Remember Wsyp, I have a bottle ready for you. If you continue these games, I won't hesitate to use it and that's a promise!"

Reclaiming the tablet yet AGAIN, Arnie turns around and continues stomping down the hill muttering "And this is why Borrowers work alone!" over and over again to herself.

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Arnie Stops for a ...

8/16/2022

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Arnie was keeping a close eye on the tricky little Wysp who was leading her to the Goodies cottage. She did not trust the Wysp but she was desperate and needed a guide - even one who never seemed to stop talking. "... and then there was the time that me and some of my friends tricked this Gooblin into..." continued the Wysp as it floated in the air in front of Arnie.

Something in what it had said, (Arnie wasn't really listening but it did remind her she needed something before seeing the Goodies) made her interrupt the Wysp. "We have to make a short stop before seeing the Goodies," Arnie told the Wysp. "My place is just ahead and I need to pick up a couple of things".

"Your time is my time," smiled the Wysp. That comment alone made Arnie a little more nervous. First with the Wysp offering to help and now being friendly. "I will also have to pick up another magical bottle just in case," thought Arnie. "That sneaky little Wysp is up to something so armed with more than just one bottle might be a good idea."

As they entered the grove of trees where Arnie lived, just before walking up to the door, Arnie stopped the Wysp and told it to stay outside while she got her things. "I haven't clean in a while and I don't want you to see how messy my place is..." the Borrower had told the little blue Wysp. In actuality, Borrowers are neat freaks and Arnie would be mortified to think that her place had been left in a mess. Stepping up to her door and standing with her back to the Wysp to block it from seeing how she opened the locks to get in, Arnie was too busy to realize that the Wysp was no longer even watching her.

It had found something else to keep it occupied. "Two other victims to trick," giggled the Wysp as it spied both 'victims' hiding in the bushes.

As Arnie opened her door she was surprised! The place was a mess! "What is going on here?" she thought. "This isn't how I left it..." After walking through the chaos, she soon realized that someone else had been in her home and must have been looking for something. "Why do I have a feeling they are looking for the tablet?" she asked herself. In all of the years she had been 'borrowing', she had never had anyone enter her home. "What is on this tablet?" she whispered to herself.

While Arnie was going from room to room to see if whomever had searched her home had found all of her secret nooks and crannies, the Wysp decided to check out the watchers. "First the rat," she thought. Flying over to where Drat was hiding she hoovered over him and started its questions...

"Whatcha doing? Why are you in the bushes? Your eyes are red, does that mean you are tired?" and many more. Drat knew that he had been spotted, so he did what he figured was the best approach and swatted at the Wysp which it easily avoided. "Go away!" he growled at the little blue fae. "Can't you see I am busy?"

In a bush several yards away, Dulbbe had been day-dreaming about the crystal ball and all that it had taught him about the Dragon language. "Who would have ever known that both numbers and music were required to read Dragon," he thought. "I must see Hewy as soon as I get the tablet back from the Borrower." As he was thinking about how Hewy might be able to help him, he finally noticed the Wysp and Drat in the bushes close to him. "Where did they come from," his eyes popped open in surprise.

"Since you are not being very nice, I will go over and talk with the other one hiding in the bushes," said the Wysp to Drat. "Maybe he will be more talkative." Flying over to the bush where Dulbbe was hiding, it started asking more questions. "What are you doing in the bushes? Wouldn't it be more polite if you came out where others could see you? Is there something special in the there? Can I see?..." It was then that the Wysp could see who was hiding. It was that stupid Troll that made her answer the Shadows' King questions! "What are you doing here!" the Wysp growled at Dulbbe but before he could answer, a thought occurred to it.

"We are going to see the Goodies, do you want to come along?" the little Wysp evilly smiled.

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Eavesdropping...

8/9/2022

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"Grrrrr..." growled Ffion as she paced the tiles in the castle throne room. "I have got to find out what this is all about," she muttered to herself. "Dad is still down in the library and Dulbbe still has not returned!" Just then one of the cook's helpers entered the room carrying a tray of food for the King. Realizing this was her chance, Ffion took the tray and offered to deliver the meal herself. "He is currently unavailable," she told the server. "I will take it in to him."

Shortly Ffion was in the library and at the door to room 101. "I don't know how they do it. This tray is heavy," thought the princess.

On her way to the library she had to set the tray down several times both to open closed doors and to give her arms a rest. "How heavy could a sandwich be?" she had asked herself again. She was about to set the tray down again to open the door to room 101 when she noticed that it was already slightly ajar. "I think I will peak in just to make sure I don't disturb him," she decided. Looking into the partially open doorway she could see her father was standing with his back to her and was surprised to hear him arguing with someone else. "Who could be with him?" she thought. Deciding not to interrupt them, she continued to stand in the doorway, not realizing that she still was holding the heavy tray with his lunch.

"I told you already, I must know where the tablet is and who has read it!" shouted the King. "And don't tell me my question is incomplete. That is the knowledge I seek!" As her father started pacing in front of the table he had been standing by, Ffion realized that he was yelling at a crystal ball. Normally this would not surprise the princess as crystal balls were a common thing in a magical land, but she had never seen one with a Dragon in it!

In response to the king, the crystal replied, "The Dragon tablet in question contains the History of the Nyte Shades and the Enlightenment of the Dragons. It also contains knowledge of Dragon magic and it's transformations. As all the Dragon tablets knowledge is contained in this crystal sphere, the location of the tablet is known but not who may have accessed that information," continued the crystal ball. "Now that is something," thought Ffion, but before she could say anything to let her father know she was there, the crystal continued. "The tablet is in a pocket."

"What do you mean - in a pocket? I know that a Borrower has the tablet and that it is probably carrying it!" growled the King as he slammed his hand on the table making the crystal shake. "But where is it at is what I need to know!" The only response the King received was "Your question is incomplete. What knowledge do you seek?"

Realizing that she was not going to overhear anything new about the Dragon tablet other than what she had already heard through her father's yelling, Ffion decided she had better let him know that lunch was served...

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The Royals and their Minions...

8/2/2022

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While Dulbbe is following up with the address tag on the key he found in the tunnel to see who this Arnie is, Drat, with his connections, has already figured out who has the Dragon book and is waiting at Arnie's home. "Oh no! There is Dulbbe. Why is he coming here?" Drat thinks to himself. "Is the Shadows' King now involved too? This tablet is moving up to how important it really is," sighs Drat.

Meanwhile, Druzzy, the Troll King, and Hir'aeth, the Gooblin King, are both in their throne rooms wondering why they have not heard back from their minions. "I must have that tablet," mutters Druzzy to himself and not for the first time grumbles about replacing Drat if he doesn't show up soon. Hir'aeth, on the other hand, is thinking of ways to embarrass Druzzy by getting the book first. "I can picture the look on that stupid Druzzy's face when I get that Dragon tablet. Wonder what would happen if I was to then give it away to that little Wish Dragon, Hungry?" chuckles the Gooblin King. "It will be bad enough for me to get it first, but even worse to give it away... old Troll face will be burning red!"

As the others are out looking for the Borrower with the Dragon tablet, still others are stuck waiting for answers and some of them were not waiting very patently with their tempers fraying just a little...

"This is driving me crazy," growls Ffion as she paces the throne room waiting for Dulbbe to return with some news. "Dad has gone and locked himself up in the library with some stupid crystal ball and I have to stay here waiting for anyone to return with news. I might just have to start training some minions myself since Dulbbe is one of Dad's."

While Ffion is wearing out the tiles from her pacing, Hunter, the Shadows' King, is in room 101 of the library seeking the crystal ball that Dulbbe had just recently discovered. Hunter is so concern about losing the Dragon tablet and that a Borrower is now involved, that he is distracted enough not to realize that the green cloth that normally covered the crystal is now laying on a nearby table. "Where is that tablet?" the King muttered to himself. Since the crystal was uncovered it responded with "Your question is incomplete. What knowledge to you seek?"...

Speaking of Dulbbe, he found his way to the address that he discovered on the back of the key tag and was now waiting at the door after knocking several times. "The Borrower must not have returned yet," he realized. Soon he decided to hide behind a bunch of bushes to wait for the Borrowers so he could catch Arnie when she returned. Little did he realize that close-by another minion had also been watching the Borrower's cottage and was now watching Dulbbe too.

"Hmmm. Now it appears another is in the game. The problem is do I tell Druzzy?" pondered Drat, the Troll King's minion. "At first I thought the King only wanted the book to brag about, but lately he has been acting stranger than usual." As Drat was used to waiting for a King, waiting for a Borrower to return home was not a problem. Taking a small sandwich out of his knapsack, he ate silently while watching both the cottage and the rock troll hiding in the bushes. "I must remember next time to pack cheese sandwiches instead of sticky jelly ones," he idly thought before taking another bite.

While Drat sat and ate, the Troll King was plotting what he would do when the Dragon tablet was finally delivered to him. "That stupid Gooblin King's eyes will bulge when he sees that I have the tablet. Finally I will have the power to destroy him!" laughed Druzzy. "The power it will give me will make me the ruler over all of these realms as I know one thing that Hir'aeth doesn't. The tablet is supposed to be the secret of Dragon magic and with that, I will be Ruler Supreme," Druzzy said as he smiled. "I am a busy troll as I have an Empire to create and pillars to topple."

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My Brambles

The Meeting at the Goat Troll Tavern

Arnie is not a Happy Camper!!!

Arnie Stops for a ...

Eavesdropping...

The Royals and their Minions...

Greetings

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